Gambling Laws in Taiwan

Gambling in Taiwan is illegal in all of its variety, with the exception of the state-run lotteries, which do not enter the legal definition of gambling. Within the Taiwanese gambling legislation, the Criminal Code of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 1935 and it’s amendments are considered to be the main regulatory acts regarding gambling in the country according to which all gambling activities are criminalized in Taiwan, with the above-mentioned exception. The Ministry of Justice published on September 10, 2019 a draft amendment to Article 266 of Taiwan’s Criminal Code which also criminalizes online gambling. Under this amendment, any Taiwanese citizen who uses “telecommunications equipment, electronic communications, internet or other similar means” to gamble commits a crime and can face a penalty of up to NT$50,000.  The body that supervises the respect of the prohibition for land-based and online gambling activities in the country is the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Regarding the state-run lottery games and in accordance with the Taiwanese gambling laws, minors, under 18 years of age are prohibited to participate in lotto games.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Taiwan? No, all forms of online gambling are illegal in Taiwan.

Online Casinos in Taiwan

As of June 2018, there are no online casinos in Taiwan. Online gambling in the country is prohibited under the Criminal Code, so no Taiwanese online casino licenses are on the offer. Although there is an active blockage on any online gambling content, illegal access to internet casino sites from Taiwan is frequently reported by many Asian based online casino providers.

Online Poker in Taiwan

Online poker sites in Taiwan are not legal, as of June 2018. Although there are no specific Taiwanese online poker laws, the general prohibition on gambling coming from the application of the Criminal Code from 1935 holds for this game too. Illegal online poker, however, is frequently reported by the authorities of the country.

Online lottery in Taiwan

The Taiwan receipt lottery is also known as the Uniform Invoice or Unified Invoice. This is the only legal form of state lottery managed by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of China. Although they are quite popular in the country through their land-based offer they have not launched yet an online lottery in Taiwan,  as of June 2018. Foreign sites offering online lotto games on the Taiwanese market are actively being blocked.

Online bingo in Taiwan

As it is the case with the other gambling sites, online bingo sites in Taiwan are not legal, as of June 2018. Although there are no specific Taiwanese online bingo laws, the general prohibition on online gambling in the country holds for this game too.

Online sports betting in Taiwan

Online sportsbook sites in Taiwan are illegal. Due to the general prohibition on gambling games in the country, sports betting is also prohibited in any form, online as well as land-based. Foreign internet sportsbook sites are blocked from accessing the Taiwanese market.

Online daily fantasy sports in Taiwan

Online DFS sites in Taiwan do not have a legally regulated status. Considering the illegality of online sports betting in the country it is very probable that internet Daily Fantasy Sports would not receive soon a legal status in Taiwan.